Carrie Meathrell

You can't seem to get away from the god's-honest truth lately: beef is bad. Not only beef, but chicken, pork, fish -- all you hear nowadays is how "cattle farming uses too much fossil fuels!" "Chickens are being horribly abused in tiny cages!" "We are overfishing the world's oceans!" So what's the responsible meat-eater to do? You could go vegetarian, and it's a respectable choice. But what if you just really love your bacon,...

The city of Compton will finally have its very own skatepark, a brand-new facility that will open its doors to skateboarders in September. A number of grants went towards building the 12,000 square foot park, which will be located at Wilson Park, 123 N. Rose Ave. The Tony Hawk Foundation contributed over $10,000 and was a major partner in the design of the park, while a gift of $157,00 from the The Roberti-Z'Berg-Harris Grant...

Famine. Riots. Strikes. Inflation. The repercussions of the world food crisis continue to affect the global mood and economy, and unfortunately the situation does not appear to be getting any better. American farmers, most of whom rely on the core crops of wheat, corn, and soy to bring in a living, are fearful of another poor harvest this year. From the NY Times: United States soybean plantings are running 16 percent behind last year....

Supermarkets, restaurants, and fast-food chains across the Southland are removing three types of tomatoes from their shelves today, in response to a nationwide salmonella outbreak. Almost 145 infections have been reported since mid-April; the FDA is urging consumers to avoid raw red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes. Cherry, grape, and tomatoes on the vine are still okay to eat. From today's LA Times: The physician who heads the FDA, Andrew C. von...

Simon's Cafe is a wonderful little gem of a place, located in an awkward intersection just under the 405 freeway at Ventura Boulevard, but this Mediterranean/Moroccan treat is well worth the trip. Stop in tonight to say hi to Simon himself, who is often in the kitchen and serving the guests with speed and politesse. If you enjoy your meal, he's also giving a cooking lesson next Sunday morning on house specialties like feuillettes aux...

We've already covered the strikes in Europe over rising oil prices; now Rome has become the site of an emergency UN summit on the food crises that are sweeping the globe. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. has become a major target of international criticism over its food policies and interest in corn-based biofuels. From the LA Times: Delegates clashed during the second day of the three-day meeting over how much blame can be assigned to biofuels for...

Did you hear about the striking Spanish fishermen? Or perhaps the disgruntled French farmers? Maybe the embattled Bulgarian truckers? All of them, and many more workers across Europe who depend on tractors, trucks, boats, and barges to drive commerce, are speaking out against the skyrocketing prices of gas in Europe, which pays about twice as much to fill up a tank than America does. The Spanish and Portuguese fishing industry, the largest in Europe,...

Now that Gordon Ramsay's new place is up and running, what other hot new dining spots are opening around town? LAist is particularly excited about the Hollywood location of Loteria Grill that is scheduled to open sometime in June. EaterLA has been closely tracking the progress of this favorite taco spot, whose Farmer's Market location has often been named the best taco place in the city. The "gastropub" renaissance has a new Hollywood outpost...

If you didn't watch last night's Lost season finale (two hours of twisted tropical bliss!), you should really just stop reading right here, cause spoilers are everywhere. If you haven't been watching the past few seasons, well, you're only missing out on the best television show of ALL TIME. While last night's closer didn't quite have the impact of last season's final scene (who can erase from their mind's eye the sodden, bearded spectacle...

Photo of The Mae Shi on tour by Turquoise Boy via Flickr Win one for the anti-graffiti movement: tagger "Buket" was arrested today: "The 24-year-old man was detained this morning when he showed up to meet his probation officer. He is expected to be booked on multiple charges of felony vandalism, sheriff's officials said." The LAPD is making an effort to curb gang activity at Universal CityWalk, so why can't Universal CityWalk curb its...